


The Horrors of the Other Side

by MattDoesFanfic



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Not Beta Read, Pre-Episode: e025 One Year Later, Pre-Relationship, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 06:08:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18360176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MattDoesFanfic/pseuds/MattDoesFanfic
Summary: Cecil comes out of the other side of the portal deeply traumatized. Carlos is there to help him pick up the pieces.





	The Horrors of the Other Side

**Author's Note:**

> Alternative Summary: I try and make cleaning vomit off of somebody seem romantic and fail miserably.
> 
> This story takes place immediatly following the events of The Sandstorm. So you know... be wary of that.

Cecil wrenched the headphones off his head. The sound of them clattering to the floor mixed with sound of the ‘ON AIR’ sign blinking off. He could still hear the voice of that awful, awful man ringing loudly in his ears.

Cecil collapsed on the ground. His body seized with tension as he kicked off his shoes and socks. He groaned at the wet squelching sound they made as they hit the carpet of the sound booth. He would have to burn those. He'd never be able to get the blood stains out of them, no matter how many times he washed them.

Later. For now Cecil would just lay here.

Cecil had no idea how long he laid there. He knew he had to move eventually. Otherwise he would simply waste away there on the sound board carpet. He'd become nothing more than a stain, indistinguishable from the ones that already covered the floor. But he just couldn't get the image of that man out of his head. His black void-like eyes and wide toothy... whatever you could call the state of that man's mouth. It seemed to go on forever and Cecil saw his own fear reflected in the white teeth.

Cecil vomited, not even bothering to sit up to do so. 

"Cecil!" A voice called out.

Cecil sat up, vomit dripping from his chin. He looked around and his eyes landed on Carlos. His perfect hair was a mess of frayed ends and run away curls. His chest heaved up and down in a desperate attempt to catch his breath.

"I came as fast as I could." Carlos's voice cracked. "Steve Carlsburg called me and told me about where you went."

Later Cecil would lay awake at night, desperate to know how Steve Carlsburg got Carlos's number. For now, Cecil was just grateful that Steve had sent this angel (well not quite as angels weren’t real) to him.

"Where did I go?" Cecil's voice was high and soft. He sounded like the very personification of distress.

"I don't know what that portal you went through was but you came out in the Desert Bluffs Community Radio Station.”

Cecil felt his stomach lurch violently. "There was no way that was Desert Bluffs. That place was too horrible even for there."

Carlos moved closer to Cecil, dropping down to his level. "That's just what I heard. Are you hurt?"

Cecil pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He felt Carlos put a hand on his shoulder. Cecil reflexively leaned into the contact.  Under normal circumstances, Cecil would have been giddy at the prospect of having Carlos touching him or mortified at him seeing Cecil with vomit on his face. But these weren't normal circumstances. These were soul wrenching, stomach lurching, mind destroying circumstances. So Cecil just leaned into Carlos’s hand and let the tears stream down his cheeks. 

They stayed like that for a long time. Cecil with his knees pulled up to his chest, silently weeping. Carlos with his grounding presence, keeping Cecil company as he wept. They stayed like that for what could have been a lifetime. Cecil didn't care. He was just grateful to have Carlos with him.

It was Carlos who spoke first. “You never did answer my question. Are you hurt?”

Cecil's voice felt hollow in his throat. “I'm not sure.”

“You said that you and… that man… were in an altercation?” Carlos's voice was tight with concern. “Tell me what happened.”

“He grabbed me by the throat and kept throttling me with his fist and scratching at my face and eyes. Carlos, he never stopped smiling at me. Not once.” 

“Cecil let me see your throat.” 

Carlos reached out his hand but Cecil backed away quickly before letting Carlos examine his throat. Carlos’s hands were rough and calloused from the years spent with his scientific equipment and Cecil found himself leaning into the touch as he started to squeak out a recount of what had happened in the portal.

“I met him when I was about maybe half way through the portal. He greeted me with a cheerful ‘Hello friend’ and then proceeded to wrap his right hand securely around my throat while repeatedly punching and scratching me with his left. He had long black nails, like claws. And I swear to you Carlos… he never stopped smiling.” Cecil was crying again. The tears came down his face like ocean waves.

“Cecil,” Carlos’s voice brought Cecil back to reality somewhat. “It’s okay. It’s all over. That man is back in Desert Bluffs and you’re here. With me.” 

The way Carlos had said ‘With me’ all matter of factly made the hairs on the back of Cecil’s neck stand on end. They’d spoken maybe a handful of times but the way Carlos had said those words felt… significant. Like they could have had multiple meanings and Cecil could pick which one.

“Yeah,” Cecil nodded emphatically. “Yeah I suppose I am.”

Carlos smiled and Cecil could have sworn that the sun had risen a second time that day. “Now come on, let’s get that vomit off of you.”

Carlos helped Cecil to his feet and grabbed the blood soaked footwear on the floor. Together they walked out of the sound booth and into the men’s bathroom that was just across the hall. Khoshekh meowed concernedly when the two of them came to stand by the sink. Carlos got a damp paper towel and began wiping the now somewhat dry vomit that coated Cecil’s chin. Cecil couldn’t help but stare into Carlos’s face. His perfect hair fell in loose waves around his face, framing it like the most ornate of photographs. His hair had started to finally grow out and now that that blasted barber was thoroughly whipped into line, it looked as though it would remain long and unkempt for the foreseeable future. Cecil smiled at the thought.

“Much better.” Carlos said as he finished wiping the last of the vomit from Cecil’s face. Carlos looked perfect. More so than he usually did. The soft glow of the bathroom lights made his skin seem more radiant than it usually did and it brought out the subtle hints of gold in his otherwise brown eyes.

Cecil quietly cursed himself for vomiting. He wanted to confess to Carlos everything. He wanted to explain that his feelings ran a lot deeper than a childish infatuation. That he cared for Carlos in a way that he had never cared for another living thing. That if it had meant keeping that vile man out of Nightvale, away from Carlos, then he would have happily died to ensure that man never reached the other side of the portal. 

But he couldn’t say these things. The smell of vomit was potent on Cecil’s breath and he knew Carlos could smell it. So he settled for a simple. “Thank you, for everything.” 

Carlos smiled wider. “Of course. Do you need a ride home? Like are you good for driving right now or…?”

“No I’m fine.” Cecil said sadly. He would have loved nothing more than to spend more time with Carlos. “Unfortunately I’ve been through worse while working here.”

That was a flat out lie but Cecil felt the need to say it. To reassure Carlos that he was in fact fine.

“Okay, if you need to talk to somebody about this, I’m here if you need me.” Carlos handed Cecil’s bloody footwear as he spoke. “You’ve got my number correct?”

“Yes of course.” Cecil responded a little too quickly.

“Good.” Carlos said and together the two of them walked out to the radio station parking lot.

 


End file.
